Chapter 124..
The Cage’s Door
“Kidnapping! The king has kidnapped the assembly!”
“They’ve imprisoned the saint for the first time in a hundred years! Divine punishment will surely follow!”
“The king, who promised negotiation, is holding a hostage! He’s unworthy of his title!”
The atmosphere in the square was growing increasingly heated. Watching the escalating protest from the window, Fil anxiously studied the queen.
“Your Highness, the situation seems dangerous. Perhaps you should leave the palace quietly for now.”
“No. The moment I’ve been waiting for is right in front of me—how could I run away now?”
In the queen’s eyes, staring unblinking out the window, there was a clear flame of desire.
Fil could not fathom what exactly the queen longed for.
One thing was certain: the heat in her gaze rivaled the flames of revolution raging outside.
“What… do you mean?”
“Judgment. The time is approaching when a new era will pass judgment upon us.”
“But if the revolution succeeds as it is, they won’t spare you, Your Highness.”
Fil, anxious, alternated his gaze between the queen and the crowd outside, thinking only of getting her to safety.
Finally, the queen’s eyes, which had been burning toward the outside world, turned to him. Her expression softened, gentle and warm, as if she had never shown the earlier intensity.
“You committed a crime, so you must pay its price.”
“What crime could Your Highness possibly have committed…!”
“Let’s say it’s the crime of turning away, remaining silent, and refusing to give up the comforts I was offered.”
The queen gently stroked Fil’s head before turning her gaze back to the window.
It was now possible to leave this place.
But if led by the hands of those about to break the cage, the bird’s wings would be shattered, and Fil would almost certainly meet death.
“That child made me want to live… but it will probably be difficult.”
In the queen’s warm voice, there was a sense of longing for Bella.
When Bella had come to her and spoken, it had felt as if she could really survive.
Of course, the queen did not place all her trust in those words. She did not completely believe Bella, yet Bella’s words had pierced straight into the center of her heart, like a needle.
“Fil. Once the castle gates open, you must flee immediately. Understood?”
“Your Highness…”
Tears welled up in Fil’s eyes.
The queen, who placed a warm hand gently on his cheek and spoke with kindness, made his chest feel as though it were melting.
Bella, in contrast, examined the day’s newspapers with a casual air, as if she were here of her own volition, flipping through pages interspersed with celebrity pornography.
As expected, they were filled with crude ridicule and criticism of the queen.
To them, the king’s heavy taxes, tyranny, and the arrogance of the nobility seemed less significant than the scandal the queen had once caused.
“I never imagined that Rydell’s lifelong dream would begin in such a crude and provocative way.”
Bella exhaled lightly and closed her eyes. She could not bear to see the horrific illustrations and insulting mockery any longer.
Meanwhile, Hael, who had been anxiously glancing between Bella and the window, cautiously spoke.
“Bella. The situation outside is dangerous. Perhaps it’s best to leave the castle now…”
“Why?”
Contrary to Hael’s anxious expression, Bella’s face seemed almost innocent.
“Why? We know the queen’s thoughts, and we’ve already uncovered the king’s weakness—holding a saint captive. Haven’t we gained everything we could here? Could it be… because of the curse?”
Hael knelt on one knee before Bella, lightly holding her hand.
“There are still things to do. I also want to uncover the truth behind the curse.”
“I will investigate the curse myself. For now, Bella, it would be safer for you to stay away from the revolution.”
“Do you think their demands will be fulfilled, Hael?”
“…Yes.”
It was a somewhat sudden question, but Hael answered honestly.
This revolution would surely succeed. Never before had so many people gathered at such a scale, never had everyone worked in such unison.
Moreover, their true backing was not the temple but immense capital.
Those who had amassed wealth but had suffered under the barriers of social rank—the nobles’ oppression—had moved.
“That’s right. The power to seize what one desires is stronger than the power to resist. Right now, the queen has laid the groundwork for them to unleash superhuman strength.”
“Then shouldn’t we avoid it even more?”
“There are still tasks remaining.”
“The curse—”
“Not that. We made a promise, didn’t we? To save the queen and make Chai apologize before her.”
Bella smiled faintly and set down the newspaper she had been reading.
“It’s dangerous. I’d rather stay behind and complete the mission myself.”
“Hael, the torch isn’t dangerous to you, is it?”
“That’s…”
“I know. You care for me. But I’ve been waiting for this moment, and I have no intention of missing it.”
“What exactly are you planning?”
Bella rose and moved to the window.
The torches flickering outside looked like a field of red. Though still weak, they would grow more powerful under the stronger sunlight.
“Tonight.”
“….”
Her calm and resolute voice echoed.
“The castle gates will open.”
By night, those torches would burn redder than the sun.
“What… does that mean?”
The saint slammed the table and leapt up. Her expression betrayed both confusion and anger.
“It’s literal. A massive protest has erupted in the capital. There’s a high probability it will succeed.”
“No, I don’t care about that. Bella… pretended to be Nine and entered the palace?”
The saint tried to maintain her composure, but her trembling voice betrayed her raw emotions.
“Perhaps the Duke of Prelorde wanted to show the moment his wish comes true,”
“How dare a mere mortal imitate me? Surely she’s been discovered.”
“According to someone we planted inside, she’s still safely in the palace. The king has broken the agreement and confined her to a room, though.”
“This is absurd. Chai hasn’t even disappeared yet, and she left the mansion, disguised herself as a saint, and entered the palace?”
When summarized like that, it did indeed sound utterly ridiculous.
Unlike the serious saint, Rydell’s reply was casual. They had used every connection in the Mist Guild to spread Bella’s description.
Rydell trusted their own abilities—or rather, the bonds they had built with commoners.
“So when will she return?”
“For now, I informed the revolutionaries of Bella’s appearance and instructed them not to harm her if seen in the palace.”
“Do I look like I’m worried about just one person?”
“What do you mean—”
Before Rydell could argue further, the saint’s piercing scream echoed.
“You said the revolution would succeed! What if Bella dies there! Then no one would know how to lift the curse!”
“….”
Rydell covered their ears in shock. They had not expected such volume from the frail saint.
“Chaire bound my soul to Bella. Even I can’t intervene. The only way left is to meet the conditions to lift the curse.”
The saint slumped in despair, clutching her head as she sank into a chair.
Rydell watched her indifferently, then suddenly looked around the room.
“…Huh.”
Rydell awkwardly rose.
The window cracked sharply, then shattered with a loud crash.
“Chaire!”
The saint jumped up, waving her hands at the air as if she could see something.
One window broke, and immediately the neighboring ones began shattering in succession.
Rydell, staring blankly at the flying shards, felt an inexplicable sense of liberation.
“Chaire, please! Don’t lose your reason!”
The saint desperately reached toward somewhere outside, but another window beside her exploded.
Chaire, swaying like melted marshmallow, looked like nothing human.
The empty eyes poured forth a steady stream of tear-like substance, though it was not tears. Chaire had no physical body.
“I want to go… let me go, let me be with Bella…”
Chaire’s cries cracked the last remaining window.
The saint watched in disbelief as Chaire thrashed outside, as if trying to destroy the mansion.
“Could it be… not trapped, but bound?”
The saint asked tremblingly. No answer came—but it was enough.
Chaire was not struggling to leave the mansion through the front gate. She was trying to break the mansion itself.
Chaire’s soul was not confined to a limited prison; the mansion itself was her cage.
“If Prelorde… is holding Prelorde back… then… is this truly a curse?”
This vast mansion was holding Chaire’s soul, refusing to release it.
